Car-coupling



(No Model.)

J. RAWLES.

OAR COUPLING. No. 862,996 Patented May 17, 1887.

WITNESSES. l/VVE/VTUR W J. W

NITE STATES ATENT OFFICE JOHN RAWLES, OF MACOMB, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOD. F. CHIDESTER AND G. H. MGELVATN, BOTH OF BUSHNELL, ILLTHOIS.

CAR-COUPLING.

:EPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 362,996, dated May 17,1887.

Application filed February 3, 1887. Serial No. 226.3%.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN RAWLES, a resident of Macomb, in the countyofMcDonough and State of Illinois, haveinventcd a new and usefulImprovementin Oar-Couplings, of which the following specification willenable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of referencemarked IO thereon.

This invention has for its obj eet the construction of a safetyear-coupling especially adapted to freightcars, and that is simple inconstruction, durable and very efficient in pperation,

which does not endanger the life of the operator, and its novelty willbe fully set forth in the following specification and pointed out in theclaims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the coupling attachedto the car-body. Fig. 2 is a top View of the drawhead detached. Fig. 3is a longitudinal elevation of Fig. 2, taken in center, showing theinner construction of the drawhead and coupling-pins.

Similar letters indicate like parts in each figure, in which- Arepresents the car-body. 13 represents the draw-head, constructed withupper and lower jaws, the upper jaw forming guides and a rest 0 for thecoupling-pins i'ii. The lowerjaw is constructed with suflicient strengthto receive the shock produced when the cars come together when in theact of coupling.

On each side of the draw-head B are formed 3 5 ears 8 s, in which arefitted the rear ends of the coupling-elevis O. The bolt 1. passesthrough the ears and through the ends of the couplingelevis anddraw-head. (See Fig. 2.) The drawhead is constructed with threepin-holes for 40 couplingpins. In the rear of the center hole is a holefor the gravity-pin J. (See Figs. 2 and 3.)

The conpliugpins i t t are connected together at the top by means of theboltK. They fit loosely on said bolt, so that each pin sustains an equalamount of the draft. In the rear of the center pin and connectedtherewith is aloosely-pivoted gravity-pin, J. (SeeFig. 8.) Thisgravity-pin is about one-third longer than the coupling-pins i t Thisgravity-pin is arranged so that the lower end extends back out (Nomodel.)

of plumb when down, as shown in Fig. 3, and

its purpose is, when the pins i 17 i are raised up, as shown in dottedlines in Fig. 3, to (by its own gravity) pass into and rest in the 0011-cave seat I (see Fig. 3,) and hold the pins iii up out of the way whenthe linker couplingclevis O is entering between the jawsof thedraw-head, and when the link or coupling clevis presses back against thegravitypin it forces it out of the concave seat P. Then, by their ownweight, the pins t i t and gravity-pin J drop down to their shownposition in Fig. 3.

The coupling-pins 2 i i and gravity-pin J are all operated by means ofthe shaft 10, which is 6 attached by suitable bearing to the car-body,and to which are firmlyattaehed the arms a a, which, by means of shortchains, are attached to each end of the bolt K. (See Fig. 1 Each end ofthe shaft 10 is bent at right angles to form handles a a. Attached tothe lelt arm a is an upright rod, 7), which extends to the top of thecar-body with suitable hand-hold, so that the operator can operate thecoupling pins without danger to life from the top of 7 the car.

The shaft Z extends across the ear-body, and is constructed and attachedthereto the same as the shalt '10, and has firmly attached to it thearms lb, which extend outward and two or three inches beyond thepivot-bolt i, one on each side of the draw-head, (the right arm notshown.) These arms, by means of short chains, are connected to the pins9 g on the couplingclcvis C. On the left arm is attached an up- 8 rightred, I), which extends to the top of the car with suitable hand-hold.This shalt Z, with its appliances, is for the purpose of operating theCOllPllllg-ClGVlS O by raising it up to its shown position in Fig. 3,which can be done either from the top of the ear or at either sidewithout danger to life.

Operation: The operation of this car-coupling is in the very extreme ofsimplicity. The operator can either from the top of the car or the sidesoperate the coupling without being L exposed to danger. If the operatoris on top of the car and wishes to couple, he first sets thecoupling-pins i t t by grasping the upright red I), that is attached tothe arm a on the shaft I00 10, and draws up the pins until thegravitypin J passes into the concave seat P, which movement will hold upthe coupling-pins z i i, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. Then, bymeans of the rod 1), attached to the arm h on the shaftl, he can raiseup the coupling-clevis O to its shown position in Fig. 3. The outer endof the arm h extends out beyond the pivot-bolt t, and by means of shortchains draws the eoupling-clevis 0 forward sufficient to pass the centerof the pivot-bolt t. The clevis O is then raised up easily, and when thecars come together the coupling-clevis Ostrikes the gravity-pin J andpresses it back out of the concave seat 1?, which causes all the pins todrop together and couple the cars, and to uncouple the pins i i i areraised up as before, and when the cars are apart the couplingclevis 0assumes the position shown in Fig. 1. WVhen coupling or uncoupling ateither side of the car, the handles n n on the shaft 20 and the handlese e on the shaft Z are used to operate the coupling devices the same asabove described. This coupling can be coupled to any of the old-styledraw-heads by using a common link.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, 1's

1. In a car-coupling, the draw-head B, having an upper and lower jaw,and provided with ears 3 s, in combination with the couplingclevis 0,having pins 9 g, and secured to the draw-head B by means of the bolt 1,and shaft Z, having suitable handles at each end, and arms h and uprightrod b, attached substantially as shown and described, for the purposespecified.

2. In a car-coupling, the draw-head B, constructed with an upper andlowerjaw and con cave seat P, in combination with a series ofcoupling-pins, t i t, loosely attached together by means of the bolt K,the gravity-pin J, pivoted to and in the rear of the center couplingpin1', the projecting arms a a, rock-shaft w,

and upright rod b, substantially as shown, and

for the purpose specified. I

JOHN RAWLES.

\Vitncsses:

T. J. PRICE, E. H. PRICE.

